Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Curried Crab Cakes

Of all the Match meats, their crab is the one I work with the least. Too intense and, well, fishy tasting for me on its own, I like Match crab best when combined with other strong ingredients, such as the curry powder in this recipe. For more fun with vegan crab, check out my post for Curried Crab Salad with Coriander-Dusted Flatbread.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Cooking spray

1 cup minced onion

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped celery

2 teaspoons peeled and minced fresh ginger

1 minced garlic clove

1 and 1/4 cups dry breadcrumbs, divided

1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

12 ounces Match crab, thawed

1 Ener-G egg

2 tablespoons vegan butter, divided

Parsley sprigs (optional for garnish)

1. Combine the curry powder, salt, mustard, black pepper, and ground red pepper in a small bowl; set aside.

2. Heat a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery; cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the curry powder mixture, ginger, and garlic; cook uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Spoon the mixture into a large bowl and let cool. Wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel.

3. Stir 3/4 cup breadcrumbs, the mayonnaise, lemon rind, crab, and Ener-G egg into the onion mixture. Divide the mixture into 24 portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch thick patty.

4. Place the remaining breadcrumbs in a shallow dish, and dredge the crab cakes in the crumbs.

5. Melt 2 teaspoons butter in the pan over medium heat. Add 8 patties, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and repeat the procedure twice with the remaining butter and patties. Parsley sprigs add a lovely fresh pop of color for garnish.

Try making these patties part of an appetizer spread. Alongside the usual noshes like pretzels, add unexpected tidbits like sesame rice crackers and roasted chickpeas:

The crab cakes are great with cocktails, or try with hot cider for a non-alcoholic treat.

Nutrition Info:
12 servings (2 crab cakes), Calories 124Tasting Notes:
As mentioned in the intro, there was lots of flavor going on here, all of which helped offset the eerily-accurate Match crab in a nice way. The chopped vegetables kept things fresh, and the heat and spice were just right from the curry mixture. There was too much breadcrumb flavor to the patties themselves, so I would decrease the amount to 1/2 cup. I also would cook the patties differently next time, over higher heat, and for longer, until quite crisp and browned on the outside.

Update: Leftovers reheat well, but not in the microwave. Re-crisp them on the outside in a skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes to a side. In fact, the browner and crispier these were on the outside, the better.